Radiohead Side Project The Smile Made Its Dallas Debut at The Factory

On a humid, rainy Thursday night at The Factory in Deep Ellum, The Smile made its Dallas debut. The group name might not mean a thing to most people, but its members’ names certainly will. The Smile is the side project of Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood.

The group also includes jazz drummer Tom Skinner, a musician with whom Greenwood had worked when creating the soundtrack for the film The Master in 2012. Originally conceived during the pandemic in 2020, The Smile started off as a group of guitar riffs Greenwood was looking to finish up with Yorke, while Radiohead’s other guitarist, Ed O’ Brian, worked on a solo record. Critics seem to agree that The Smile may be the best Radiohead side project to date, as the group embodies the crunchier post-punk explored in early Radiohead records.

Last May the group released its first album, A Light For Attracting Attention, and embarked on a U.S. tour in support of the release. The sold-out Thursday night show brought a crowd from all over, as Dallas was The Smile’s only stop in the Lone Star State. Fans immediately crowded to the front of the stage to stake their places several hours before the band was due to perform.

As the 5,000-capacity room filled up, opening solo act Robert Stillman went on stage just after 8 p.m. to a packed house. Stillman’s droning musical contribution was reminiscent of the kind of sound bath performances you’d encounter at an art gallery on New York’s Upper East Side — with minimal melodies, mostly created with the use of a saxophone, underpinned by a simple set of synthesizers, sampler and possibly a theremin.

Stillman’s sonic high art set the mood for the kind of show fans would get from The Smile later in the evening. With two white spotlights illuminating Stillman at the opening of his set, the artist commanded the stage with ease. His set ended after 30 experimental minutes.

At 9:15 sharp, The Smile came out to a crowded and sweaty room. The use of red LED lights, mixed with the sound of Yorke’s familiar voice, brought the rowdy crowd into perfect silence. The band started with album opener “The Same” while scattered across the large stage; Greenwood was front and center on guitar while Yorke played and sang stage right, with drummer Skinner occupying the far left. As the band journeyed through the set, the lights set the mood, often reflecting off Greenwood’s Gold Gibson Les Paul.

Yorke slithered around the mic stand, releasing his primal howls into the microphone and playing bass.

The Smile’s live performance ran without a flaw and sounded almost like a record, perfectly mixed for the size of the venue. Several songs in, the transition into “Free in The Knowledge” saw Greenwood move from guitar to keys, eventually ending with a long pause. These transitions continued throughout the show as Yorke and Greenwood traded off bass and guitar duties, with Greenwood often playing bass with a bow.

As the set continued, The Smile played two new songs before playing “Skirting,” which turned into a chance to demonstrate the musicians’ prowess, each member showing off his musical skill set and commanding the crowd’s loudest responses of the night.

The Smile played more songs off the record before moving to crowd favorite “The Smoke,” opening with an undeniably funky bass line that got all fans shaking their hips to its irresistible rhythm and understated melody. Afterward, they busted into “You’ll Never Work in Television Again,” a tune reminiscent of early Radiohead and definitely the hardest-hitting song of their setlist.

Yorke found himself seated at a black grand piano for a pensive performance of “Waving a White Flag,” which had the audience hanging on the singer’s every note. The next song showed off Skinner’s speed as a drummer as he finessed his way around the kit and hi-hats in true Buddy Rich form. The band ended the 1-hour-and-35-minute set with a jam that concluded with Yorke turning the microphone backward toward the crowd, capturing the applause after saying a simple, “Thanks.”

The lights in the venue immediately came up while people sauntered to the bar to pay their tabs and the crowd dispersed cordially with absolutely no hint of an encore. After the show, a large crowd of several hundred fans waited in line outside for the chance to meet The Smile, and a few lucky ones did, as Greenwood and Yorke walked outside to greet fans and sign autographs.

It’s significant that The Smile decided to make Dallas the only stop in Texas. For as much grumbling, complaining and general malaise caused by Dallas traffic, Californians taking over our rental spaces and the gentrification of Deep Ellum, in real talk, 10 years ago The Smile would have probably just played in Austin and called it a day, just as Suede and Manic Street Preachers did last month.

Even though Deep Ellum is still undergoing massive changes, if venues like The Factory continue to give fan opportunities to see world-class bands like The Smile making regular stops in the neighborhood, maybe it’s worth the headaches.